- Thread starter Jakeonthekob
- Start date
not sure i go for the idea of waiting till my gun gum up to the point that they operate poorly rather go out on a range day with a nice clean gun , stuff happens anything could go wrong merphy makes sure of that , but knowing its going to jam up sooner or later is not the way I would like to start my day , which ever day that may be .sounds like only cleaning after your home is broken into . hearing a click and not bang is not a thing to look forward to . but to each there own not to mention that does sound like a dimacratic pitch
I put a couple patches wet with BoreTech Eliminator down my barrels every 300 rounds or so, followed by a few dry ones and using a bore guide of course. I rarely use brushes.
My barrels don’t get “dirty” but they aren’t F-Class clean either. I don’t think either side of the spectrum is good for barrel longevity.
My barrels don’t get “dirty” but they aren’t F-Class clean either. I don’t think either side of the spectrum is good for barrel longevity.
Nobody is recommending to wait until your rifle gums up to the point of operating poorly. That would be asking for failure. You have to use some common sense here. Keep the trigger, bolt(inside and out), chamber, throat, and muzzlebrake clean but only clean the bore once accuracy degrades. I’ve been following that regiment for years using only Zippo lighter fluid, Berryman Carb Cleaner, and WipeOut with patches. I very rarely use a brush but when I do, it’s nylon and it gets pushed through 5 times max per use. I do this to all rifles from factory Rem700 to custom builds, to Accuracy Internationals with custom Bartleins. I reload using Varget, H4350, H4831sc, and H1000. I push my loads as hard as the rifle will allow. I use a TBAC suppressor 100% of the time and have never noticed a bolt action barrel lose accuracy any faster using a suppressor vs not using a suppressor due to carbon fouling of the bore unless it’s a poor quality barrel, a worn barrel, or short barrel magnum. Mileage varies from rifle to rifle but they are consistent in when they foul to a state of decreased repeatability. I make notes of that round count and drive forward with a maintenance schedule for the particular rifles that require it.
Right I should have been more specific. But I was too lazy to type specific circumstances etc. etc. Either way, thanks everyone for your input. I learned and I hope others learned a bit too.
This is what I keep reading here but I'm starting to think it only applies to custom-grade super precision match barrels. What I have experienced shooting my off the shelf HMR shows that after thirty rounds or so it falls on it's face as far as accuracy is concerned. As in, goes from 1/2 to 1.5 MOA. After my next trip with a fouled barrel to confirm that it isn't shooter error I'm either going to look into some sort of lapping system or, if that fails, replacing the barrel.
Can anyone post a pic of what their muzzle looks like after 300 or more rounds through it? After thirty rounds I can tell my bore is almost completely plated with copper.
had i seen this earlier i would have. 550 rounds through brand new barrel. first cleaning. was still shooting bughole groups but i have 2 matches back to back weekends and no time to clean and refoul other than this weekend
Good barrel break in vid:
This guy drops in every once in a while.
R
This guy drops in every once in a while.
R
yesssssssss
I have a 308 rifle I was cleaning after every shooting because I didn't shoot it much. I didn't clean it once and the second time out it shot a little better. I stoped cleaning it and didn't touch it till it opened the groups back up at about 500rds. I've since gone to this with all my barrels. Once accuracy drops clean otherwise just put it back in the safe.
I have found when my rifle does this, it is normally in the spring after I have worked a load up in the fall. To fix this issue, I will typically increase my load by a 10th of a grain. It comes down to a change in temperature which directly effects the resonate frequency of the barrel. Do you log your temps and what is their correlation?
Last time I cleaned my 6.5x47 I had 1000rds down the tube. Was still shooting awesome, but I was going to a 2 day and I didn't want it to fall apart. It took like 35rds for velocity to come back completely (2760 up to 2800). At the time I had 2300rds down the tube. The previous time I cleaned it,it had 1400rds total (1200rds since cleaned).
All that being said I will typically mop out the chamber every few hundred rounds. I will also use a nylon brush that barely fits in the neck with carbon remover periodically to prevent carbon in the neck throat junction.
All that being said I will typically mop out the chamber every few hundred rounds. I will also use a nylon brush that barely fits in the neck with carbon remover periodically to prevent carbon in the neck throat junction.
I do keep track of temp now and adjust loads quite a bit here in Michigan with the temp swings. My Dasher load is 33.2 in winter and drops to 32.8 in the heat. I used to clean every range trip no matter what and that hasn't been needed.
I have a feeling two things are happening. 1) If letting your barrel fowl increases accuracy, your initial load was lighter than the barrel really wanted. 2) Others have said they run a dry patch which increases accuracy. This tells me they are moving carbon to the end of the barrel which is settling the bullet right before the exit. Typically barrel manufactures want the end of the barrel to be ever so slightly smaller than the start of the tube. This is just another way to achieve this.
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